


Space for Something New

by SharkAria



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Complete, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Heterosexual Sex, Hook-Up, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Second Chances, Sexual Humor, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-25
Updated: 2014-02-01
Packaged: 2018-01-02 15:32:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1058473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SharkAria/pseuds/SharkAria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Korra doesn't mean to stay over in Tahno's apartment, but she keeps ending up there anyway.  Tahnorra.  Takes place across Books I and II.  After Book II's ending, I thought this was a fun "what if".</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Love Korra. Love alternate pairings. Hope you enjoy.

Tahno opened the door shirtless, his hair still dripping from his recent shower. He’d applied his eyeliner to perfection, but had just barely managed to slap a towel around his waist.

“You knew I was coming over. Couldn’t you bother to get dressed?” Korra rolled her eyes and shouldered past him into the tiny apartment’s main room.

“If this visit is anything like the last couple times, I’d say that I’m overdressed.” The Cheshire cat-deer himself couldn’t have had a more self-satisfied grin plastered across his face. Tahno closed the door as he turned around and gave Korra a slow once-over, lingering on her hips. “I’d say you’re a little overdressed too.” He ran a hand through his hair in a well practiced gesture, and hooked a thumb inside the waistline of his wrapped towel.

She huffed at him, puffing out her bottom lip and crossing her arms. She stomped into the bathroom and yanked a threadbare robe from a wall hook. Stepping back into the only other room, Korra thrust the robe in his general direction. “It’s not that kind of visit.” 

“Of course. You’ve said that before,” he reminded her, dropping the towel without so much as a blush as he reached to take the robe from Korra. He raised an eyebrow suggestively, but pulled on the garment and tied the belt. 

Korra smacked her forehead and let out an aggravated sigh. “Just -- ugh. Thank you.”

***

_Korra woke up with a jerk. Her eyes flew open and she looked beside her, hoping that last night had been a bad dream. A good bad dream. The pale, lithe form with a messy mop of black hair dashed her hopes._

_She hadn’t been drinking. She had just been doing everything she could not to hit him in the face and get disqualified from their upcoming match. Unfortunately, “everything” included pushing him against the wall in the alley behind Narook’s and shoving her tongue down his throat. She’d managed to wipe that smirk off his face, though._

_Korra looked around the apartment, letting her eyes adjust. Where she sat on the bed, she could see every part of the tiny, messy studio except for the bathroom. Wolfbats newspaper clippings littered the dining table. Dirty glasses lined the countertop in the kitchenette area. Books were piled two feet high across every sitting surface. Who lived in this kind of filth? Oh, yes, Tahno did. He was so icky. So icky and so, so good with his hands. And tongue. And -- well, everything else._

_The first few rays of sunlight peeked in through the window, and Korra knew she had to get back to the island before anyone realized she hadn’t come home the previous night. Hopefully, she would be able to slip out of here before Tahno opened his eyes. She slid out of bed as quietly as possible and tiptoed to the first article of clothing she could find. Of course it couldn’t just be laying on the floor, like it would have in a normal illicit tryst. She sighed and hoisted herself onto the dining table._

_She balanced carefully on one knee, trying to grab her shirt hanging off the chandelier. It must have gotten caught on the light after being carelessly flung in that general direction. Straining as high as she could, she lost her balance and toppled to the floor, knocking over one of the chairs and sending the newspapers flying. “Shit!” she exclaimed as she hit the floor._

_“Although I’m glad that you didn’t reach your shirt, I’m sorry that I no longer have that fabulous view of your ass,” a lazy voice drifted over to her from the bed._

_“Ah, sorry, did I wake you up?” Korra said nervously, quickly covering her breasts with the half skirt she’d found crumpled up on the floor next to where she’d landed. She looked over to Tahno, who was sprawled out naked on the bed, smirking the most self-satisfied smirk in the history of smirks. His hair looked as though a hurricane had styled it, and his eyeliner was smudged across the side of his face._

_“No, I’ve been enjoying watching you scurry around the apartment naked looking for pieces of your outfit.” He pulled her brassiere out from under the pillow and dangled it from one finger. “You missed this.”_

_“Gimme that!” Korra snatched it from his hands, turned away from him and put it on._

_“Who would have thought that the Avatar likes to wear lacy little underthings? I thought all you do-gooders were required to wear traditional attire.”_

_“Sorry to disappoint you,” Korra harrumphed, not sounding very sorry. Having found a broom amidst the mess, she used the handle to pluck her shirt from the light fixture. She pulled the garment over her head and tried not to look in Tahno’s direction while she searched for her pants and boots._

_“Not disappointed at all. Neither were you, when I used my teeth to take them off of you.”_

_Korra couldn’t help but blush at that particular memory. No time for this. Gotta get out of here before anybody notices I’m gone, she thought._

_“But if you want to wear those old fashioned bindings next time, I wouldn’t mind unwrapping you nice and slow.” Tahno stretched and stood, then casually walked to the closet, pulling a robe off a hanger._

_“Next time? You wish,” Korra muttered. She was pretty sure that finding the panties was a lost cause. “How do you live in this dump anyway? I’ve never seen such a messy place.” She pulled on her trousers and hoped that Meelo wouldn’t try to play the “pantsing” game that she’d recently taught him._

_He ignored her question. “Too bad you put those pants on. I wasn’t kidding about that rear view,” Tahno said, leering at her. “It seems like every lady I meet in Republic City has that skinny flapper look. I just can’t get enough of those curves you have. Reminds me of the girls back home in Foggy Bottom.” As if he couldn’t get any sleazier, he actually licked his lips._

_She groaned in frustration. “Ugh! You are so --”_

_“Sexy? Amazing in the sack? Big and --”_

_“Gross!! You are so gross!” Korra pulled on her last boot. She jumped up and headed for the exit._

_“Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart,” Tahno called to her. “See you in the arena tonight. Can’t wait to celebrate my victory with you after the show.”_

_She slammed the door and raced down the hall as fast as she could, telling herself that the flush on her cheeks was from the running._

******************

“My apologies for making assumptions,” he sniffed mockingly. “Please sit down. Would you like a glass of avoberry wine? I just opened a bottle.”

After her most recent experience with drinking, Korra had stayed away from spirits -- but her nerves got the best of her. She nodded. “Sure, pour me a little.” 

“No need.” Without so much as looking at the bottle, he casually waved one hand, bending the liquid into a glass on the coffee table.

Korra smiled in spite of herself. “Even if you were a dirty cheater in the arena, it’s good to see you bending again.” She looked for a place to sit, but the couch and two dining chairs were still piled high with books and newspapers. She couldn’t help glancing at the bed and noticing it was clear. Been there, done that, need to stay far away from it, she thought. She remained standing and sipped her beverage, trying to look anywhere beside the bed...or the couch...or Tahno’s exquisitely chiseled stomach muscles peeking out from the folds of his robe...

Tahno noticed and chuckled. “Yes, I can clearly see you aren’t interested in anything other than a friendly chat. So, why are you here? Trouble with your little Fart Ferret boyfriend?” 

*****

_She’d spent the last several days restoring the bending of those from whom Amon had taken it. That afternoon she’d participated in a special press op where she had given back the bending of the White Falls Wolfbat pro-bending team. In spite of their former rivalry with her, the team had invited her out to celebrate (after a good hour of tearing up the town, having gotten caught up in the elation of enjoying their elements once again). The group had eventually made it to one of Republic City’s most popular bars, where it seemed as though every pro-bending fan in the city had shown up. Shaozu was leading the crowd in a rousing rendition of a popular song with bawdy lyrics. Every time they got to the chorus, he shot flames into the air and sent the bartender and waitresses into fits._

_The place was humid and stuffy, packed with the celebrants drinking, laughing, dancing, flirting. Mako and Asami had left a while earlier to help drag a helplessly inebriated Bolin home. But when they’d inquired as to whether Korra was ready to head out, she’d been in the middle of an arm wrestling contest with the earthbender Ming, and she wasn’t about to give up her edge on the competition. They had shrugged and left her to defend her title as she waved them off with her free arm. Shortly thereafter she slammed Ming’s fist on the table and jumped up to do a Water Tribe victory dance and knock back another shot that an onlooker handed her._

_Perhaps that last drink had been one too many, Korra reflected hazily. Now she was sprawled out in a dark booth in the corner of the bar, her head swimming with booze and euphoria. She watched the scene, tired but pleased that she’d been able to bring so much happiness to so many people, having finally found her stride as the Avatar._

_Someone put a fresh glass in her hand and bent liquor into it. Korra stared at the glass, confused through the fog of alcohol about where it had come from._

_“Turns out that you’re quite the party girl, Avatar,” a smooth voice entreated her. Tahno, the one man she’d been avoiding all evening. He slid into the seat across from her. Korra shifted her weight, moving her feet off the booth seat, and she tried to sit up straighter. Her head spun and she lurched forward. The heat from the room started to seem suffocating instead of cozy._

_Tahno noticed. “Perhaps you need a glass of water instead of this stuff. Thanks to you, I can help you with that again.” With a flick of his wrist, he whipped the alcohol out of the glass, then drew some water from a nearby pitcher and splashed it into the container. “Damn, that feels good. Here, drink up.” Tahno urged her to take a sip. The water was cool and sweet on her tongue, but it couldn’t beat back the first twist of nausea -- whether that was from the alcohol sloshing in her stomach or Tahno’s presence, she wasn’t sure. She gulped the water down and ran a hand nervously over her hair._

_“Ah, I think I need some air actually,” Korra stood up unsteadily. “I’m gonna step outside for a minute.”_

_“I’m coming.”_

_I’ve heard that from you before, Korra thought before she could suppress it. She felt her face burn at the memory of his body below hers, his thumbs digging into her hips as he was going over the edge -- “No thanks, I’ve got it from here,” she protested. She stumbled forward, and Tahno caught her by the back of her shirt collar, hauling her up before she faceplanted onto the dirty floor._

_“Come on. It’s the least I can do.” He put a hand on her shoulder, helping her navigate through the crowd toward the front door. As they got closer, she could feel the cool, refreshing marine air wafting in as people entered and exited._

_Korra shoved through a group of oblivious girls blocking her escape and suddenly she was outside, the air reinvigorating her. She walked a few steps forward, out of the cone of bright light over the entrance to the bar, and dropped her hands to her knees. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply. The nausea subsided. The fog in her head cleared._

_Tahno put a hand on her back. “Hey, you alright?”_

_She shrugged it off. “Yeah, lots. I just drank too much. I’m gonna stroll along the waterfront for a bit and then head back to the island.” She stood up, swaying slightly. Carefully, she walked across the street to the boardwalk, staring out over the black sea and reflection of lights from the city. “Glad you are enjoying your bending. Catch ya later.” She waved dismissively over her shoulder, hoping he’d take the hint and go back inside._

_Instead, he followed her to the pier. “And let me miss my opportunity for a rematch with the only Fart Ferret who could last more than one round against me?”_

_Korra’s head snapped up in anger. Tahno winked at her._

_“You couldn’t come up with anything better than Fart Ferret?” Korra huffed. “If you weren’t constantly cheating, you couldn’t even touch me in the arena,” she replied._

_“Hmm. Maybe not. Although you seemed to enjoy my touch outside of the arena,” he purred. He drew a ball of water up from below the docks and spun it slowly above their heads._

_What a sleazebender, she thought. “That was a while ago. I’m with Mako now,” Korra said, as if to remind herself._

_“I don’t see him around.”_

_“We’re together,” she insisted. She pursed her lips in annoyance and turned away. “Whatever, you don’t have to believe me. I’m going home.” She leaned over the rail of the boardwalk, preparing to dive into the water for the swim back to the island. Hopefully the cold ocean currents would clear her head and help wash away the foolish thoughts racing through her brain._

_“Little Avatar, how sensitive you are. I’ll quit flirting if you spar with me for a few minutes to remind me how good it feels to be the best pro-bender this city has ever seen.” He encircled himself in the water and crouched into an offensive stance._

_Korra knew he was baiting her, but she always had a hard time turning down a fight, and the booze wasn’t helping her inhibitions any. “Fine. I kicked your teammate’s ass earlier tonight. What’s one more Wolf Butt to pulverize?” She pulled a whirl of water up from below the pier and whipped it toward Tahno. Unfortunately, she overshot and spun around, falling flat onto her bottom. The water splashed into the cab of a convertible Satomobile parked across the street, soaking the upholstery and dripping out from both doors._

_Korra’s eyes bugged out. “Oh, crap!”_

_Tahno let his water loop splash to the ground. He grabbed Korra’s hand and pulled her up. “That car looks an awful lot like the one Ryu the Rock drove up in. We should probably get out of here before comes back.”_

_“Triad thugs don’t scare me,” Korra declared. She opened her mouth to expound more on the subject but hiccupped loudly instead._

_“Yeah, well, if you can’t even aim a water whip at me properly right now, you shouldn’t start a fight with his gang tonight.”_

_Korra pondered that for a moment, just about to concede that he made an interesting point, when the bar door swung open and several flashily dressed benders stepped out. The largest, meanest looking one jangled a set of car keys and was approaching the soaked Satomobile._

_“That’s Ryu. Let’s not stick around to find out how impaired your abilities are. Come on, this way!” He froze the water on the street and gestured to her. Korra took one look back at the benders and took Tahno’s hand. She knew Tenzin would be glad that she backed down from what he would deem unnecessary violence, but she wasn’t sure that absconding with Tahno was in her best interest either. They took off skating as fast as they could, and just as they were rounding a corner she thought she heard the sound of a rough voice exclaiming angrily, “What the hell happened to my car?!”_

_“Come on, let’s put a good distance between us and them,” Korra muttered to Tahno as they escaped. They skated past warehouses and along several blocks of an alley that backed up to a row of restaurants. She giggled and shouted “‘Scuse us!” as they surprised dishwashers taking out the trash from the evening’s festivities. Although she was quickly sobering up, she couldn’t quite squelch the off-kilter feeling as they rushed along. Within a couple blocks they entered a modest residential area, with four- and five-story apartment buildings lining both sides of the street. Many windows had laundry hanging off the fire escapes. Tahno unfroze their path and they skidded to a halt, breathless. Korra was laughing so hard she was nearly doubled over._

_Tahno smiled at her, confused. “What’s so funny?”_

_As she recovered from her fit of laughter, she explained, “We could have just bent the water out of the car before Ryu came back. I’m sure that it would have been hard to tell that we messed it up in the first place.”_

_“I suppose that’s true. I guess I enjoy using my bending to get into trouble more than getting out of it.” He caught her eye, seeming to gauge her response._

_Korra looked away and pretended not to hear him. Instead, she gazed down the street, realizing that she recognized the block. Her smile faded. She stared up at the familiar building they now found themselves standing before. “We’re at your place.”_

_Tahno shrugged. “Whenever I get to the property damage portion of the evening, I figure it’s time to call it a night.” He climbed a half-dozen stairs leading to a double door with thick brass hardware and turned to her. “You coming in?” he asked what Korra was sure was his best impression of an innocent question._

_She knew she was supposed to tell him that she needed to go home, that she had a boyfriend, that she’d see him around in the arena sometime, that -- “Sure,” she heard the word come out of her mouth._

_Even Tahno looked surprised. “Alright then.” He unlocked the door and held it open for her._

_They didn’t even make it up the first flight of stairs before they were clinging to one another, lips locking together and hands grasping at clothing._

 

*********  
“You know, it’s not like I go around calling you guys the Wolfbutts,” she grunted. Anymore, anyway. Maybe coming here hadn’t been such a good idea after all. 

“You’re right, I’m being unfair. How is Officer Mako, consort to the Avatar?” Tahno said as disinterestedly as possible, leaning against the wall and examining his fingernails.

“I don’t know, I haven’t seen him in a while,” Korra responded pointedly.

“Really,” Tahno drawled. He looked up from his nails and raised an eyebrow at Korra. “This conversation is taking a more interesting turn. Why haven’t you seen him lately?”

“Because,” she paused and looked up. She took a breath and said in a rushed voice, “because we’re not dating anymore.” She looked back to him to see if his expression would change.

Tahno looked at her thoughtfully -- his expression seemed almost concerned. “I hope -- I hope that’s what you wanted.” He stepped forward and took the now empty glass from Korra’s hand, their fingertips brushing and sparking. “He didn’t find out about -- you know, what we did --”

“No, no,” Korra said quickly. “We just weren’t quite right together.” She shrugged, a little sadly.

The moment passed; he was all back to oily flirtation. He gave her a slick half smile. “So you’re looking for someone to pass the time with until another do-gooder comes along to sweep you off your feet?”

***************  
 _“Tahno! Open up!” Korra yelled as she bounded up the narrow steps leading to his apartment. When she reached the door, she pounded on it with both hands. “Hurry up, I need to tell you something!”_

_“Coming, coming,” his muffled voice emanated from the apartment. The door swung open, revealing a gaunt, unkempt Tahno. He was in the same clothes she’d seen him at the police station the day before. In spite of his haggard state, he seemed to brighten at her appearance. “Avatar. You look...wet.”_

_“Yeah, well, it’s raining out.” She bent the water off herself with one wave of her hand before she remembered that doing so in front of Tahno right now was pretty insensitive._

_He looked away from her. “Oh. I suppose it is. I can’t feel it anymore, like I used to,” he mumbled morosely. She looked past him and noticed that the shades were drawn down, keeping his tiny place even darker and mustier than usual. She wondered when he’d last ventured outside._

_“Um, well, I came here because I have something exciting to tell you!”_

_“Yeah?” His eyes lit up. “Have you found Amon?” he asked hopefully._

_Korra faltered. “Well, not yet, but we’ve got some good leads,” she said._

_Tahno looked crestfallen. “Oh. Let me know when you hear something. That’s the only thing that would really excite me anymore,” he intoned hollowly, and began to close the door, turning away. “Thanks for stopping by.”_

_“Wait!” Korra jumped forward and kept him from closing it, grabbing his wrist. “Actually, I’m here for another reason.” Suddenly she realized that he might take that the wrong way, given her previous visit. She dropped his arm and stepped back._

_Tahno’s eyes narrowed as he glared at her. “Look, I’m not interested in your pity. We had a little fun before our match, but you don’t need to pretend to care about me just because I was unlucky enough --”_

_Korra recoiled. “I’m not here to pity you, you jerk. I talked to Katara and got some suggestions on how to counteract the chi-blocking that the city healers probably haven’t tried. I thought you might let me try them out on you to see if I could get your bending back. But if you’re just --”_

_“Hold on.” He swallowed and closed his eyes for a moment. “I’m sorry. Come in.” He stepped aside and motioned for her to follow._

_“And Tahno,” she whispered, “I do care. That’s why I’m here.”_

_He nodded. “Just tell me what you need me to do.”_

_******_

_Defeated, Korra returned the water to the bowl. She mopped her brow with her half skirt, her face slick with sweat from hours of attempts to heal Tahno’s broken pathways. Tahno stared ahead blankly, kneeling on the floor. She didn’t have to tell him it didn’t work; he could feel it._

_“I’m...I’m sorry,” her voice trembled. Korra unfolded her legs and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. “I’ll just go now.” She stood up and smoothed out her pants._

_“Thanks for trying, anyway,” He half stood, taking one of her hands and entwining his fingers with hers._

_“I just wish I could help you. Help everyone who Amon has hurt this way.” She clenched and unclenched her fist in helplessness. She patted Tahno’s shoulder tenderly. “I’ll keep trying until I can get your bending back.”_

_“Wait,” Tahno begged. He grasped her hand harder._

_“What is it?”_

_He looked down for a moment, then back up into her eyes. A defeated, pathetic smile passed across his face. “Maybe I could use a little pity after all.”_

_In spite of her sorrow, the corner of Korra’s mouth twitched. She kneeled down with him and wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to squeeze out the pain they both felt._

*************

“I don’t want a do-gooder! I want --” Korra couldn’t quite bring herself to say his name. “I want to get to know you better, Tahno.”

Tahno looked at her as if he couldn’t quite believe what she’d just told him. “You want -- like, to talk?” he responded lamely.

“Uh, yeah, I thought maybe we could go on a -- you know, a date.” Korra looked down at her feet. “This was dumb. I shouldn’t have come here.” She turned away from him.

“Korra.”

Not Avatar. She looked back at him hopefully. He stepped close to her again and took her hand in his, his thumb grazing across her knuckles.

“I’d like that. Would you let me take you to breakfast tomorrow morning?” 

“Oh,” Korra said, confused. That seemed like a pretty weird time to go on a date. “I thought we could do something tonight.”

Tahno placed her arm around his neck and pulled her body against his. He leaned down and kissed her. “Yes, I thought we could do that first,” he whispered.

Korra rolled her eyes, but she kissed him back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wasn't planning to write another chapter, but then I did. Couldn't resist. Please excuse any cliches inflicted on you.

Space for Something New - Part II  
(Published Dec 1)

Korra sighed and opened her eyes, arching her back in post-orgasmic pleasure. “That was amazing." She smiled and put her arms behind her head and stretched leisurely, giving Tahno an excellent view of her breasts from his vantage between her legs. 

Tahno propped himself up on his elbows and licked his fingers, making sure that Korra was watching him and hoping she would blush. She did, much to his satisfaction. “Don’t sound so surprised,” he replied smugly. 

“I’m not surprised. It’s not the first time you’ve done that for me, you know. Just the first time I was willing to tell you how good it felt and risk your giant ego inflating even more.” She flipped her leg over Tahno so that he could move out of his awkward position, then rolled onto her side to face him.

"I hope it is not the last time. On either count," he rejoined.

"No way. As Avatar, I am under a lot of stress. I need that kind of relief on a regular basis," she chuckled. Tahno enjoyed it when she tried making dirty jokes--it gave him the opportunity to one up her. 

He moved up to the head of the mattress and wiped his mouth on his recently discarded shirt. “Well lucky for you, the only thing that I do better than pro-bending is making a woman come. And I just won the championship for pro-bending.” 

Korra's eyes widened, and she playfully smacked him on the top of his head. “That was an incredibly obnoxious remark, but I want to return the favor anyway.” She raised an eyebrow at him, gazing at his exposed chest.

“Is that right,” Tahno murmured, reaching out to trace the curve of her breast with his fingertip. He felt a deep heat spiral slowly down his abdomen. He wondered what she had in mind. Maybe she would want to climb on top of him again. She burned so hot above him when she was riding him, her muscles pulsing around him until he tumbled over the edge. Or maybe she would let him take her from behind; the previous time he had needed to focus all of his willpower just to last beyond the first few thrusts. Then there was once in the shower where she didn’t even touch him - using only her waterbending, she had made him come so hard that she’d had to catch him to keep him from falling over. He loved that the Avatar was so wanton behind closed doors; it was such a departure from her saintly public image. What a delicious secret to have. His cock twitched in anticipation.

“First, let me get those pants off you. How do you still have those on anyway?” Korra rose onto her haunches and lunged toward his waist.

“I was too distracted by your nudity to remove them,” he replied evenly. Tahno was pleased to see that he managed to evoke another round of blushing from her. There was no better feeling than seeing how hot a girl was for you, he reflected. He laid back to allow her access to his pants.

She unbuckled his belt and unzipped his fly, then hopped down onto the floor as she struggled to tug his trousers off. “Sheesh, you wear these things tight. Wanna help me out here?”

“Allow me,” Tahno replied, standing up and pulling off pants and briefs in a single smooth motion. Korra looked down, smiling when she saw how aroused he was.

“I know exactly what I want to do to you,” she said in a low voice, licking her lips. Then, without warning, she dropped to her knees and grabbed him tightly, looking back up at him hopefully.

A line of ice rushed rushed down his spine. No, please, not that, Tahno thought, willing her to stand up. 

For all of Korra's considerable prowess in the bedroom, she was an absolute disaster when it came to giving head. She approached it with the same enthusiasm as she did bending, but without any talent, ability, or skill. She was messy, careless, and unresponsive to subtle hints. He had to stop her somehow.

“I -- you know, I really want to come inside of you tonight,” Tahno redirected her. He felt his erection waning, remembering a particularly nasty encounter with Korra’s teeth. Korra gripped him harder and he winced.

“You said that last time. And the time before that,” Korra grumbled, exasperated. She furrowed her brows as if trying to remember something. “Come to think of it, Mako always said the same thing! And Howl too!”

“Howl?”

“My first boyfriend, back at the South Pole.”

“I see,” Tahno said, trying to keep the fear from edging into his voice. “Forget those losers. Come up here and sit on my face,” he coaxed, taking her hands in his to pull her off the floor and trying to distract her with an attractive alternative.

“No, I want to give you a blowjob!” she declared in frustration, tossing his hands aside. The words Tahno had always dreamed of hearing, except not from someone as bad at the act as Korra was. “I thought guys went crazy for them. I saw Bolin almost pass out the other day just watching a cute earthbender chick licking a popsicle.” Korra crossed her arms over her chest and pursed her lips. “Seriously, is there something wrong with the way I do it?”

Tahno opened his mouth, then closed it, quickly deciding there was no good answer to that question. Maybe if he stayed silent, she would just drop it and come back to bed.

Korra looked at him and narrowed her eyes. Apparently she had been expecting him to say something different. Probably whatever those moronic ex-boyfriends of hers had told her. Some obvious lie like, “You’re great at it! It’s just not really my thing,” or “Next time, I promise.” Seeing Korra’s stony expression, Tahno was starting to wish he had said something like that too. 

“Oh,” was all she said, clearly embarrassed. Now Tahno wished that she would stop blushing.

“Korra --”

“No, I get it, you don’t like the way I do it,” she cut him off, her embarrassment quickly giving way to defensive anger. “And nobody else did either. I should go.” Korra got up with a sour expression on her face and started shaking out her clothes from their pile on the floor. She avoided catching his eye.

Tahno sighed. “Come on." Usually, he didn’t much care for it when girls got weird and emotional, but Korra...the two of them were starting something that was a little bit more than just a hook-up. They had even been hanging around together in public since Korra had asked him out. Maybe that was why he felt a foreign twinge of guilt for hurting her feelings like this. He knew he would have felt pretty lousy if one of his lovers had told him that he wasn’t so great at going down on her. Not that any woman would ever have cause to say something like that to him, he thought. 

He tried a new tactic. “If the only guys you’ve ever been with are that pathetic Fire Failure and some South Pole village rube, then of course you didn’t get the chance to master everything about sex. With those tools, it's a wonder that you’re so smoking hot at everything else in bed.” When in doubt, Tahno thought, insult the competition and follow it up with a nice fat compliment on a plate.

Korra didn’t look very impressed, but she did stop getting dressed. She sat on the edge of the bed, facing away from Tahno.

Slowly, Tahno sidled over until his bare hip brushed against hers. She turned her head away but did not otherwise move. He pressed his lips to her shoulder and slowly began working his way up toward her neck. When he smoothed her tangled hair over her other shoulder to expose the taught muscles between her shoulder blades, Korra let out the smallest of sighs. 

She began to speak so softly that he had to hold his breath to hear. “I’m used to being the best at stuff. I hate that I’m not as good as I thought I was.”

Tahno knew how she felt, but he wasn’t about to cop to that. Nobody, not even Korra, needed to know that rounds of self-doubt occasionally gnawed at him too. Instead he responded, “If you haven't noticed, I have found that you are good at many things.” She turned back toward him, her face blank. He ogled her body and grinned. “And you look good doing them, too.”

Far from what Tahno expected, she looked pained. “I know, you say that, but, um --” Korra stammered, then forced herself to go on, “you’ve been with so many pretty girls, and I don’t know much about this stuff. I feel like a loser when I find out I suck.” She glanced at hin from the corner of her eye.

Tahno knew what he needed to do. “Only one cure for that, babe.”

“What’s that?”

“Practice.”

“You mean, you’d -- teach me?”

“Sure." He gave her his sleaziest grin. "If you’d like to learn how a real pro gives head, I could --”

“Stop right there,” she exclaimed, but couldn’t help giggling. "I will kick your ass if you ever say that to me again."

"If I remember correctly, the last time I said that to you, we ended up making out behind Narook's."

"Yeah, well, I had to shut you up somehow." She gave him a shy smile. "But I would like to get better, since you make me feel so good." Korra leaned toward him, touching her forehead to his.

Tahno's eyes softened as he felt an unfamiliar sense of tenderness toward her welling up inside of him. For some reason, the moment brought up the memory of her coming over after he'd lost his bending. She had held him close, running her hands purposefully along his body, lingering over his chi-points. He had asked her bitterly why she wasn't afraid to touch him in case his bad luck was contagious. She hadn't responded; she had just looked at him sadly and kissed him softly. He reached out to caress her cheek. "Korra, I--" he started. Wait a minute, just how was he going to finish that? He mentally back pedaled, resorting to a joke instead. “I can teach you to become the most sexually advanced Avatar that’s ever lived. You can check in with all your past lives just to make sure."

“OK, pretty boy,” Korra said, cracking her knuckles. “Let's give it our best shot.”

Tahno gulped, hoping he wouldn't regret this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be a silly little vignette about Korra being bad at a sex act. Then Tahno had to get all emo. I am not quite ready to write a full lemon scene yet, but I am getting closer.
> 
> Swore I'd never use the "private lessons" line in a fic, but I did. I hope you didn't roll your eyes too hard when you read it.
> 
> Have a little idea for a 3rd part. We'll see if it goes anywhere.


	3. Chapter 3

Space for Something New - Part III  
Published Dec 29

Tahno and Korra had been seeing each other for about three weeks now. Sure, they’d fooled around before that, but lately they had been spending more time together outside of Tahno’s apartment. Even so, most of their activities were physical. Once, Korra took him to the beach to ice surf; another time, Tahno brought her to the Wolfbat practice gym that Cabbage Corp had paid for when the team had won the championship match this past season (without any help from the refs this time, thank you very much). And they often went out to eat -- breakfast when Korra had stayed over; late night fried food when they met up after hanging out separately with their own friends. And of course, they were having copious quantities of enthusiastic sex at all times of the day, pretty much every time they got together. All in all, the arrangement was pretty great as far as Tahno was concerned.

It had been many years since Tahno had been involved in something like this thing he had going with Korra. Maybe not since before he had left the swamp, where most girls thought he was a makeup-wearing weirdo and only a couple of them had been interested in getting to know him better. When he moved to Republic City and became a celebrity athlete, he had much easier access to beautiful and stylish women. Those women had disappeared when the Wolfbats' cheating came to light and they lost their bending, but now that his team had proven that they could win a championship the honest way too, the groupies were starting to come around again. Ming and Shaozu were enjoying their fans' newly restored affections, but Tahno found himself mentally checking out pretty quickly whenever some flirty chick tried to hang all over him after a game. He told himself that he’d get back to carousing with his many admirers when he got tired of Korra, but she'd managed to keep his attention a lot longer than he'd anticipated. It must be some passing phase; instead of flipping quickly through one fangirl after another, he just felt like having a lot of vigorous sex with the Avatar for a little bit longer. After all, he'd taught her all his best moves in the sack. He might as well get those returns on his investment while he had the chance. But couldn’t suppress the persistent feeling that maybe he was interested in her for more than just her tight, muscular thighs. And her pert, soft breasts. And her sweet, hot little mouth. And --

"You're doing it again," Korra whispered. She stopped at the top of the stairs on his floor, waiting for him to catch up to her.

Tahno snapped out of his reverie and tried to cover, leaning forward a bit. "If you didn’t want me to ogle that beautiful ass of yours, you should have walked behind me."

She smiled, then countered, "You do that a lot too, but I meant that you were staring off into space again. Guess I’ll have to find something to keep your interest.”

“Describing the panties you are wearing would be a good way to start.”

Korra entwined her fingers with Tahno's, leading him down the dark hall to his apartment. He let himself be guided down the worn carpet, enjoying the way she glanced over her shoulder to make sure his eyes were still locked on her. Together they stumbled forward, Tahno feeling as if he were drunk on heavy flirtation and too few secret touches over the course of a long evening. The two of them finally reached the door to his place; Korra paused and placed her hands lightly against Tahno’s chest. She took ahold of his collar and drew him slowly forward to her.

She brushed her nose against his cheek. “Let’s get you inside, handsome,” she murmured against his ear. 

The line sounded like she had been practicing it in her mind for a while before she said it to him, but he couldn’t argue with the sentiment, or complain about how her hot breath on his neck shot a plume of liquid heat straight through his abdomen. Often when they were in one another’s presence, not an hour passed before Korra took him up on his inevitable suggestion to sneak off somewhere to hook up, but Korra had seemed to want to intentionally tease him tonight. During dinner, she had surreptitiously slipped her hand beneath the table and grazed a finger lazily up his thigh, but a waiter had interrupted her explorations and she had left Tahno alone for the rest of the meal. Except for when that silky turquoise bra strap of hers had “accidentally” peeked out from her sleeveless top, distracting him for the entire interval between the appetizer and the main course. Later, at the Wolfbats’ favorite seedy jazz club, Tahno had pulled her into a curtained recess and stolen a heated kiss, but she pushed him away after a few moments, claiming that she thought she heard his teammates approaching. It wasn’t until the walk home that he’d even managed to cop a quick feel of her shapely behind. Overall, it felt to Tahno as though they had barely touched one another all evening, and as far as he was concerned, it was time for some extended physical contact. 

He grabbed her around her waist and pressed his groin to hers. He groaned at the way she ground her hips against him in response. "I'm not sure I can wait any longer. I might have to take you right here in this hallway." 

"I don't think so. I have all kinds of new ideas for you." She fished the key from his pants to unlock his front door, her hand lingering in his pocket. 

The moment unlodged a long-forgotten memory from Tahno’s rookie season as a pro-bender. In a dark bar his team had dragged him to, he was trying to make it with some pretty short-haired girl in a tight dress. At the time, Tahno had practically just stepped off the boat from the swamp, and he’d been so inexperienced that he hadn’t realized that the girl had actually been gunning for his famous team captain all night. After what seemed like hours of cajoling on Tahno’s part, she seemed to settle for him when she wasn’t making any headway with the much more famous person in the room. She hung on Tahno's shoulder and tossed her head back when she laughed at his jokes, and she too had used the “sly feel up through the pocket” trick on Tahno that Korra had just tried. Tahno had been utterly entranced, but ultimately the girl had just been reaching for Tahno’s money, and she’d ended up going home with her first choice in companionship anyway. A couple seasons later, after Tahno became captain, he noticed that girls would try this kind of stuff with Ming and Shaozu, in the (admittedly, sometimes successful) effort to get closer to him. After all this time as a handsome and popular pro-bender, Tahno had gotten pretty good at the whole flirtation dance himself -- and he'd gotten better at discerning when a girl was trying to pull one over on him.

Come to think of it, Korra had just about run through the entire groupie repertoire of attention-getting devices throughout their date. In fact, she'd been uncharacteristically coy all evening. Tahno had just been so flush with lust that he hadn’t noticed until now. Now his curiosity overcame his arousal. He wanted to figure out what she was up to.

He stepped back and observed her as she fumbled around in the dark, trying the wrong keys in the lock -- “Dammit --” she spat under her breath, biting her lip impatiently. She hesitated. A shadow passed across her face, then she quickly recomposed herself and looked back at him with the sultry expression she’d been sporting all evening. Clearly, judging by her problem with getting the door unlocked, she was having trouble keeping up the smooth act without her temper flaring a bit. It was actually kind of cute that Korra was trying so hard to be subtler than usual, although at this point he was getting a little tired of it. He was more than ready for her aggressive, direct approach instead of this slinky seduction that she was attempting. 

“Bingo!” she exclaimed, wrenching the door open with one hand and grabbing his wrist with the other. She tugged him through the doorway and slammed him up against the wall. Finally, Tahno thought; this is more like it. She unfastened his jacket and yanked the garment off his shoulders, biting his neck hard. Tahno inhaled sharply in appreciation and looked down at her as she ran her hand along his tight undershirt. Something about crossing the threshold must have finally inspired her to cut the flirtatious crap and go straight for some lascivious action. And it was a good thing, too. This was Korra in her element, exactly the way he enjoyed her best.

Without warning, she stopped what she was doing. As her hands left his body, Tahno hissed in frustration and pounded his fist against the wall. “Alright. What’s up with you?" he asked flatly, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice. He didn’t totally succeed.

Korra looked at him guiltily. “What do you mean?”

“All the hot and cold moves. I don't understand. Usually by this time of night I’ve got you naked and writhing on the floor.”

She glanced away uneasily. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Please. I invented this game, sweetheart. I know when someone's toying with me," Tahno said. He didn't mention that he had only just realized it. "What I don't know is the reason you're doing it."

Korra sighed in aggravation. "I knew you would see right through me," she muttered. "So much for Asami's advice. I guess I'll just go back to blind guessing at all this stuff."

Tahno took her hands in his, willing himself to move slowly and trying to ignore the almost painful throb in his pants. "I don't follow."

“I like it when I can make you get all hot for me, but I don’t always know what to do. You've taught me a bunch of stuff but I wanted to do something you weren't expecting, so I asked Asami for some ideas. Looks like it didn’t work so great.” She wrinkled her nose and looked down at her boots. "Either she doesn't know what she's talking about, or I didn't do it right. And I'm pretty sure she knows what she's talking about."

Ah, so Korra had gotten all her ideas from the Sato heiress. Tahno had seen the woman in the box seats in the arena a few times, and she looked like she knew a thing or two about getting men to do what she wanted. Men who weren't as perceptive about this kind of thing as Tahno was, that is.

Tahno guided Korra to him and placed her hands on his hips. "Clearly you've been doing something right." Korra looked up and smiled at him sheepishly. She rested her fingertips in the space between his pants waistline and his stomach, rubbing back and forth slightly. She traced her finger down his belt buckle, down his fly, just grazing his erection through his pants. She flipped her hand over and cupped him; he groaned and thrust toward her instinctively. "See? You didn't need some trust fund kid to tell you to do that."

Korra laughed. "Don't call her that. She was just trying to help. I guess my style is a lot different than hers is, though."

“Look, leave the smooth moves to me. I’ve had a lot more practice with them. You are more suited to just charge in and tell me what you want.”

She looked more irritated than appeased by that comment. He had the bad habit of slipping an insult into a statement that was initially supposed to come out as a compliment. Probably the result of years of trash talking his competition, he reflected. He would have to work on that, especially when he was hoping to get into her pants. 

Tahno tried a different tactic.

“So,” he paused, breathed in, looked down at her hand on his groin -- “just charge in. And tell me what you want.”

Korra caressed him through the layers of cloth. “What are you saying, exactly?”

“Don’t do whatever tired ladies' magazine crap Sato told you to try. Just tell me -- what you want me to do. To you.”

Korra bit her lip and eyed him possessively. She glanced back and forth between his face and her hand on his crotch. He wondered what she would ask of him that they hadn't already done.

Finally, she spoke. "You need to take off your clothes. And I need to go get some...props."

Tahno's mouth went dry and he swallowed, his adam's apple bobbing apprehensively. "Props?" he choked out.

She tapped her foot impatiently. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get undressed -- NOW!"

"Yes ma'am," he said, jumping to fulfill her request.

[To be continued?]

A/N: Er, funny story. This was supposed to be all lovey dovey and then Korra decided it was time to get kinky. Don't you love it when that happens? 

The longer Korra and Tahno date in my series, the harder it is to keep either of them in character. I want to retain the sleaze of Tahno that I love, while allowing him to grow to care deeply for Korra. Meanwhile, I’m trying to get Korra to be the strong woman she is, while still acknowledging how her fairly limited relationship history could contribute to some insecurities about herself in a relationship with somebody with a lot of experience. On top of that I’m still working on my own skills as a writer in the “M” category...heh heh. Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed!

Although I am writing this so that each successive chapter still allows the story to be considered “complete,” I actually do hope to have one more chapter that includes, um, a whole lemon rather than just a few sips of lemonade here and there.


	4. Chapter 4

Space for Something New - Part IV

By SharkAria  
\---------

"Yes, ma'am," Tahno replied to Korra's command to get undressed, hurrying to comply. He yanked his undershirt over his head and started unbuckling his belt, giving smoldering glances at her in between looking down to fumble with his pants.

Korra bit her lip as she appraised his form in the near-darkness, relishing his eagerness. She knew he liked it when she took charge of the situation, and since her experiment with subversive flirtation hadn't really worked out this evening, she figured she would give the man what he'd wanted all along. It was plenty of fun for her, too. 

Out of habit, she bent little bursts of flame over to the candles scattered about the room. Just because she planned to be domineering tonight, it didn't mean that the two of them couldn't enjoy some romantic mood lighting. The small space glowed and Korra felt herself light up in anticipation.

Now that she could see more clearly, she evaluated the studio. It appeared marginally tidier than the last time she'd been over, since the tabletop and couch cushions were now free of detritus, but in reality, Tahno had just thrown all the newspapers and dirty laundry into a corner to deal with "later". Well, she wasn't about to go sifting through all that junk to find just to find something she could use as a blindfold and restraints. 

"So, you are looking for some 'props,' huh? Just what are you thinking about doing to me?" Tahno asked, a tinge of nerves or arousal or both coloring his voice. He wavered as he nearly lost his balance hopping out of one pants leg.

"Nothing really crazy, but something I have been wanting to try. Now keep stripping," she replied. Although Tahno had told her to forget everything Asami had told her about how to please a man, Korra thought that her friend's suggestion for a little light bondage might appeal to him. And if she kept it a surprise a bit longer he might be especially appreciative.

She zeroed in on the bottom drawer of Tahno's dresser. It was the only one that was never hanging halfway out of place, undershirts and socks and briefs bursting forth as if trying to escape the chaos. After shoving the one above it mostly shut, she pulled open the drawer. She gasped at what she saw.

He staggered over from his place by the door in only his briefs. Upon seeing Korra's explorations, he cried, "What are you -- wait, don't look in there --"

"Tahno -- everything in here is organized!" she exclaimed. In her shock, she temporarily forgot about her original reason for exploring the drawer and instead just began examining its contents. There was a stack of magazines and several small labeled jars, as well as some carefully folded fabric. Except for the fact that it was so neat, there didn't appear to be anything in there to make her suspicious. She had to get a closer look to see what Tahno didn't want her to find.

Tahno lunged forward to slam the drawer shut, but Korra pushed him away. He grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him; she feinted and wrestled him to the ground as he lost his balance. She planted herself on his back with her knee on his neck to hold him down so she could more closely review the contents of the mystery drawer. Tahno groaned in frustration but stopped struggling, apparently having given up on his efforts to keep his secrets safe.

Korra picked up the top magazine, which had been placed face down, and flipped it over. "'Tribe of the Waterbabes'?" She read aloud, squinting in the low light. A curvy girl in a fur bikini and tall traditional boots pouted at Korra from the cover. "These North Pole cuties need a man like you to -- heh heh -- keep them warm on those long, cold nights -- ha!" Korra read the subheader aloud, unsuccessfully stifling her amusement. She started giggling, which quickly gave way to full-on laughter.

From his undignified position on the floor, Tahno rolled his eyes and blew his bangs out of his face. "You weren't meant to see that, but don't expect me to apologize for it," he muttered blithely, his words somewhat muffled by his face being shoved up against the rug.

She laughed again. Tahno was the most shameless person she knew. "I bet it would take more than me finding a few girlie mags to make you blush." Korra ruffled his hair affectionately and pulled the next publication out to investigate. "You really have quite a collection here," she mused, noting at least two dozen in the stack.

He sighed and grumbled in response, "Even somebody who has as much sex appeal as me has a lonely night once in a while."

"You're absolutely right, Tahno. I am glad that the girls in 'Swamp-a-licious,' which promises 'at least five pics of girls wearing nothing but a leaf on their heads in every issue,' could help you sleep a little easier!'" Korra quoted, tears of mirth welling up in her eyes. The cover of this one had three pale ladies clad in little more than leaves and vines splashing around together in murky water. The pages looked as though they had been flipped through quite a few times, but Korra figured he probably hadn't been looking at any of these very recently. After all, he couldn't have had time to look at any of them much in the last couple weeks, since she'd been over so often. 

As hilarious as she found his taste in inspiration material, she liked the idea of him in his home alone, getting a little smile on his face as he thought about what he was going to do. She imagined him looking at these pictures and thinking about her, maybe even touching himself. She wondered if he'd ever wanted to see her wearing nothing but a leaf on her head, like the girls where he came from. Her skin tingled pleasantly at the thought. 

Beneath her, Tahno shifted. "Korra, this floor is cold. Let's change venues to the nice warm bed." He drummed his fingers on the floor impatiently. 

"Yeah, yeah. Just a sec." She scanned at the other side of the drawer, nothing that the jars were actually metal and glass tins of different kinds of scented oils and creams. Not really what she felt like tonight, but she filed away the information for another time. The fabric turned out to be some long silk scarves. Perfect! Just what she was looking for from the beginning. She grabbed all of them, since Tahno was a pretty strong guy and she wasn't sure how many she would need. Just as she was about to release Tahno, she noticed something lacy-looking at the bottom of the drawer that all the scarves had been obscuring. She pulled the garment out, shaking it out to see what it was. Her eyes widened in surprise.

____________

Normally Tahno loved it when Korra was on top of him, but normally she wasn't holding him down on the floor so she could root around in his "personal" drawer without his interference. Although he found her invasion into his privacy a bit frustrating, he was mostly annoyed that Korra's discovery had somehow derailed the direction of the evening. He hadn't fought harder to shut the drawer because he'd been hoping that her explorations would inspire her to get back to the business at hand, but apparently she was an unapologetic snoop. And besides, she was far too stubborn to let him win something like that. 

In any case, he hoped that she wouldn't get too deep into the drawer. There was a particular item in there that he wasn't quite ready to explain to her. He tried again to hurry her along. "Are you done yet?" Tahno ground out through his teeth. "Wouldn't you rather get back to what we were doing instead of looking at my magazine stash?" 

To his surprise, Korra didn't respond immediately. He felt her tense up above him. He strained to see what she was up to, but his position on the floor didn't allow for that. "Tahno," Korra said finally, her tone neutral. "What are these doing in here?" 

Korra hopped off his back and allowed him to sit up. Tahno know what he'd find in her hands before he even turned toward her. A quick glance confirmed his fear.

She was holding up the pair of panties she'd abandoned in his apartment after the first night they had slept together.

He looked back and forth from her face to the panties and swallowed. Any acceptable explanation escaped him. He certainly couldn't risk telling her the truth -- she'd just be weird and awkward about it.

Tahno decided to play it safe and shrugged, hoping that the movement appeared suitably innocent. "I dunno babe, I think you left them here last week. I put them away for safekeeping and forgot to give them back to you." 

He gave her a debonaire smile that didn't fully cover his discomfort and enclosed her hand in his. "Not that you'll need those, or the ones you are currently wearing, anytime soon." He tried to take the panties from her, wishing that by flinging them across the room he could toss the subject of her mind.

"You're not telling the truth," she responded, a little acid creeping into her tone. She held onto the garment, not letting him take it from her. She looked into his eyes seriously. "These are from the first time I stayed over, aren't they?"

Tahno glanced away and scratched the back of his head distractedly. "Yeah, right, I guess I did find them a while ago." He squeezed her hand but said nothing more, the lace rustling between their fingers.

The morning after the first time Korra had stayed over, she hadn't given any indication to Tahno that she'd ever be back. Quite the contrary, really. So when Tahno had found that unexpected, tangible proof of their evening together crumpled up under his bed, he'd stashed the panties away as a souvenier; a sexy little reminder that he'd bedded the Avatar. But then after he'd lost his bending, after she'd come over again and tried to make him feel better, he found himself occasionally taking them out of their hiding place. On nights when he was feeling particularly sorry for himself, he would take them out and rub his thumb over the lace and satin, his comparatively rough skin snagging on the delicate fabric. Doing so helped him picture how Korra had looked on those nights she'd stayed over, her enthusiasm and arousal making up for her lack of experience. For a while, he had convinced himself that he was just taking them out as another means for getting himself going, just like his magazine collection. 

But then Korra had started coming over regularly. These days, he no longer needed a reminder of the time they spent together -- it seemed like she was in his bed more often than she was out of it. But still he kept them and took them out when she wasn't around, like some kind of pervert (well, he reflected, he couldn't argue that he was some kind of pervert--just not that particular kind). He couldn't deny it to himself any longer -- he'd held onto those panties because he always wanted something of hers around. He was falling deeply, irretrievably in love with Korra.

But there was no way he could tell her that. Right?

“Tahno?” Korra placed her hand on his bare shoulder. She gazed at him searchingly, clearly trying to read his thoughts. The corners of her mouth turned up in amusement. "I'm not mad, I'm just surprised that you have them after all this time." 

Tahno looked at Korra closely, kneeling there on the floor of his apartment, smiling at him. He knew that she cared for him and enjoyed spending time with him. Seeing her there, sweetly concerned for him, he suddenly understood that his fears were misplaced. After all, he was the best pro-bender that Republic City had ever seen, both before and after he'd endured Amon's curse. He was the four-time championship title holder. He was a popular celebrity with good looks, big endorsements, and incomparable skills in the sack. The Avatar herself couldn't resist his charms -- she'd kept coming back for more, over and over again. What kind of business did a guy like him have being insecure? In fact, the object of his affections had probably been pining away for him secretly for a long time now, too bashful to admit it. 

Having talked himself up thoroughly, he looked Korra straight in the eye. He gave her his best come-hither look. Here goes nothing, he thought. "The truth is, I kept those panties because they remind me of you. In fact, I've been falling for you since we met." He opened his arms to her, as if welcoming her into an exclusive club that she'd been begging to join. "And I think you feel the same way about me." 

Instead of falling into his arms like he expected, Korra leaned back and away from him, putting her weight on her heels. Her brows were furrowed in confusion -- or even possibly distaste. Tahno's grin faltered. He suddenly felt very vulnerable and chilly, nearly naked in comparison to Korra, who remained fully clothed.

"Uhm --" Tahno coughed and shifted uncomfortably. He lowered his arms and glanced down at his hands. "Maybe I've --misread your feelings. I just thought --"

He was cut off by Korra launching herself into him, nearly suffocating him with a tight bear hug. She planted a sloppy, ardent kiss on his mouth, desperate for a return. He stared at her in wide-eyed shock before recovering and kissing her back. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

Korra pulled away to draw breath and looked up into his eyes. "You and your ridiculous ego and your stupid hair. Who knows why, but I do love you too." She rested her head against his chest and nuzzled up under his chin. 

He chuckled and buried his nose in her hair, breathing in her scent. "My tough girl in lacy panties," he whispered contentedly. He slipped his hand down her lower back, beneath the waistband of her pants, and copped a feel of her rear. "Or perhaps you are wearing silk ones this evening?"

"Is that seriously what you've been thinking about all night?"

"Well, you can't expect to show off that turquoise bra strap at dinner and not cause me to wonder what the other half of the outfit looks like for the next couple hours."

Korra punched him on the shoulder. Tahno caught her hand and brought it to his lips. She grinned at him and said, "Well, maybe we should get back to our original plans for this evening." Korra held up the scarves with a twinkle in her eye. Tahno smirked in anticipation.

\----

“That was ... wow. Hot. Intense,” Tahno sighed, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. He lay prone on the bed, his back sticking to the sheets beneath him. He turned to see how Korra was managing. She was flopped next to him on her stomach with her face covered by her loose hair. 

"Uh-huh," she agreed into the pillow.

Tahno reached for her hand, listening to her breathe. She was clearly falling fast asleep. He felt his heart beat, strong and even and calm. Most of the candles had burnt out; the room was dark again save for the cool beam of moonlight shining through the break in the curtains.

Tahno leaned over and kissed Korra's shoulder her tenderly. "Goodnight, my Ah-vatar."

"Hmph," Korra mumbled sleepily. She snuggled closer to him as they drifted off to sleep.

\-----

A/N: Oops, fluff. Hope that's OK, even if it's not what you were expecting.

In writing this series of fics, I discovered something about myself. I love all the lead-up and exit of a lemon scene, but I care less about the actual act. There are so many good authors on this site who can write the whole thing, but it's less interesting for me to write than all the emotions and thoughts and character interplays that precede and end the scene. Maybe I'll get there someday. I might add to this story occasionally but this 4-parter is really what I wanted to say about this wonderful alternative pair. Thank you for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting! 

I have an ongoing fic that explores a different characterization of Tahno, and is rated T ("Solution to All Our Problems"). You won't find lemon content there, but I have some outlines for optional lemon chapters to that one as well. - SA

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. The fanon of Tahno coming from Foggy Swamp was too much fun for me to resist. I never saw myself writing an LoK fanfic, but after the end of Book II, I felt like there was some space for this to happen. I am interested in the wide range of Tahno portrayals -- many authors write him as extremely angsty, which I totally get and enjoy, but my favorite part about him has always been his sleaziness! I had a lot of fun writing him and will probably take a crack at it in the future.


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